Russia, Czechs to square off for ice hockey gold

February 20, 1998

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From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow

Russia, Czechs to square off for ice hockey gold

(Big Hat, Nagano City)
14:45 CZE 1-1 CAN (PS 1-0)
18:45 RUS 7-4 FIN

Pavel Bure put on a goal-scoring clinic Friday, leading Russia to a 7-4 victory over Finland and setting up a showdown with the Czech Republic for the gold medal in the men's ice hockey tournament of the Nagano Olypmic Winter Games.

Bure, of the Vancouver Canucks, scored five goals -- three on breakaways -- lifting the Russians to a 3-0 lead at the Big Hat ice arena in the first 21 minutes and then adding two goals with 4 minutes remaining.

In Sunday's championship final, however, Bure and his teammates will meet Dominik Hasek, who stopped 24 shots against Canada's star-studded lineup, to give the Czech Republic a 2-1 shoot-out victory over the pre-tournament favorite.

The match-up for the gold medal comes as a surprise to many who had figured that the first Olympics featuring the stars of the North American National Hockey League (NHL) would come down to a showdown between Canada and the United States.

Asked about the unexpected gold medal game, Russian coach Vladimir Yurzinov said, ''I think it is very gratifying because hopefully no one will look down at European-style hockey. We will instead be treated with respect.''

Canada and Finland will play for the bronze medal Saturday.

In Friday's second semifinal, Finland came back after Bure's early scoring flurry to level the score 3-3 at 14 minutes into the second period, on goals by Raimo Helminen, Kimmo Rintanen and Teemu Selanne.

But Russia regained the lead late in the second when Alexei Zhamnov of the Chicago Blackhawks picked up a loose rebound off a shot from the point and fired it into the open net to make it 4-3.

Saku Koivu, of the Montreal Canadiens, tied the game again at 5:15 of the third period when he fired a rebound in over the shoulder of Russian goalkeeper Mikhail Shtalenkov.

But Russia went up again 5-4 on a weak goal off a face-off that deflected off the skate of Alexei Kovalenko past Finland's goalkeeper Jarmo Myllys.

Bure, ''The Russian Rocket,'' shifted into high gear again when he scored his third breakaway goal, breezing by a Finnish defender with a burst of speed at the blue line and beating Myllys on the stick side.

''Tonight was the night of Pavel Bure,'' Yurzinov said.

Bure added an empty-netter at 19:55 of the third period to close out the scoring.

The first semifinal, pitting the world's top two goalies in opposite nets, was a low-scoring affair as expected.

Hasek, the NHL's most valuable player last year for the Buffalo Sabres, frustrated the Canadians with the sprawling, rolling, unorthodox style of goal-tending they have come to expect from the goalie called ''The Dominator.''

''I felt incredible pressure because in a game like this if you make one mistake you lose,'' said Hasek, adding, ''I think we deserve to win because we had more scoring chances.''

Patrick Roy, who led the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 1996, was equally stellar for Canada, stopping 27 of the 29 Czech shots on goal.

For nine minutes of the third period, the Czechs thought they might not need overtime or a shoot-out, after going up 1-0 at 9:46 of the period on a shot from the point by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jiri Slegr that beat Roy on a deflection in front of the net.

Then with only 1:03 remaining in regulation, Trevor Linden of the New York Islanders scored to stave off the loss for Canada and send the game into a 10-minute overtime period.

Linden took a pass from Eric Lindros behind the net and waved at it, deflecting it off a Czech defender's stick and into the net over Hasek's shoulder on the glove side.

In the shoot-out, Robert Reichel of the Islanders scored the only goal, clanging one in off the post past Roy to give Hasek the margin he needed to turn it into a victory for the Czechs.

It was the second Olympics in a row that the hard-luck Canadians have had their gold medal hopes dashed in a shoot-out.

Canada lost the gold medal in Lillehammer four years ago when Peter Forsberg beat Corey Hirsch for Sweden.

''The shoot-out may be exciting for the fans but I've never been in favor of it and am even less so now,'' Steve Yzerman said after the game. (Kyodo News)

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